


Her Heart of Stone

by Sparklez112



Category: Six - Marlow/Moss
Genre: (I'm sorry if I'm still not british enough), Fashion & Couture, Gen, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Jane is best mom, Protect Katherine please
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-10
Packaged: 2020-11-02 02:10:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20586500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sparklez112/pseuds/Sparklez112
Summary: When a run in on the street has Katherine confronting ugly memories from her past, she has trouble coping on her own.What she doesn't realize is that she has a heart of stone.





	Her Heart of Stone

**Author's Note:**

  * For [broadwayqueer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/broadwayqueer/gifts).

> TW: This work contains mentions of sexual harassment and assault. Nothing is graphic, but please be conscious of this trigger going in.
> 
> This fic is partially based off of a post I found by six-ex-wives on Tumblr:  
a concept: jane signing heart of stone about katherine
> 
> I would like to dedicate this fic to @broadwayqueer , who writes the best dynamic between Katherine and Jane I have ever read and who I could never live up to. She is also just a very talented and sweet person and I'm glad this musical has led me to meeting her.  
This one's for you!

Katherine has great days.

Days where she’s in the dressing room with the queens after the show and she never wants to leave.  
Days where she’s off doing ridiculous stuff with her exuberant cousin and feels unstoppable.  
Days where she’s in the park with Jane, making light conversation by the water and there isn’t anywhere else in the world she’d rather be.

However, sometimes things just have a habit of spiraling out of control.

It started off as a good day.  
Katherine was out, heading into a store to buy pink hair dye. Anne was coming over the next day to help her touch up her dye job (which was sure to mean there would be a huge mess, but would also mean she’d have fun with her cousin).

She was humming to herself as she browsed the aisles, a smile on her face.  
Earlier on the street, she’d been noticed by a younger girl who asked for a picture. 

“Someday, I want to be an artist. I get nervous about drawing certain things sometimes… thank you for showing me that you can still talk about your past without having it define you.”

Katherine glowed proudly, leaning in for another hug with the young teenager.  
Really, that's what she wanted people to glean from the show in the first place.

She was proud of the girl for learning that lesson, and happy to be the reason of her learning it.

Ideas spiraled in her head as she ran a finger over hair dye boxes, wondering if there are ways that she could get this message out to more people.

More shows, more interviews, amplifying the voices of artists who are so much more than what they’ve gone through…

Finding the box of dye she was after, Katherine paid at the till and left the store.

The girl enjoyed her walk home. She took in the sights of people walking and chatting, of the displays set out in front of local businesses. It was relaxing.

Then a man stopped her in her tracks in the middle of the sidewalk.

“Ay, what’s the hurry babe?”

He was tall and lanky, his brown eyes boring into her as he looked her up and down.

Katherine took a step back, unsure of herself and of how to respond.  
“Oh, I’m on my way home now.”

“I’m sure you can spare a minute.”

All in a second he stepped forward, snaking an arm around her. Katherine flinched, not wanting his arm there but too scared to pull away.

“What’s your job? With a body like yours, you could be a model.”

Even in her cropped pink sweater and jeans, Katherine had never felt more exposed.  
Her voice barely above a whisper, she responded: “I sing…”

“How about let’s hear that pretty little voice of yours? Can you sing for me, doll?”

His slimy hands were on her waist and she felt all colour drain from her face.  
_What’s he going to do if I say no?_

Then her ringtone blared from her back pocket.  
Seeing her chance, Katherine pulled away from the man and picked up the call.

“Hello?”

“Hi love.”  
Hearing Jane’s voice made her desperately wish she was here to protect her.  
“Are you still out shopping? If it’s not too much of a hassle, I was wondering if you could pick up a few things for dinner tomorrow.”

Katherine tried to not let her voice shake as she watched the man tap his foot impatiently. “Of course. What do you need?”

Her mother figure started listing off pasta ingredients, but all Katherine could hear was the sound of her heart furiously beating in her eardrums.

“... I’ll pay for snacks for you and Anne too if you want, but lord knows the girl doesn’t need more sugar.” Jane laughed, but stopped after noticing Kat wasn’t returning it.

“Love, are you alright? Your breathing doesn’t sound stable-“

“Okay, sounds good. I’ll be right home!”  
Katherine hung up.

Without waiting for a second longer, the girl took off running down the sidewalk.

The man started calling after her.  
“You’re a real tease, you know that?”

She kept running, the wind briskly hitting her face as she went. Tears burned in her eyes all the way back to her and Jane’s flat. 

Once there she stopped to collect herself.  
There was no way she was letting Jane see her like this.

_Why did you have to give him the wrong idea?_  
_You should’ve walked away when you had the chance._

Blinking back her tears, Katherine headed up the steps of the building and knocked on her door.

Not even letting her finish the knock, Jane flung the door open. “Kat! Is everything alright, sweetheart?”

She nodded. “I forgot to get your stuff. I’m sorry…”

“No worries. We can stop on our way back tonight.” Her worried look didn’t go away.  
“You’re sure everything’s okay?”

“Positive.” Katherine tried to give a reassuring smile, but it just turned into an aggressive nod.

“...Alright.” Jane seemed to drop the issue, but then again it’s Jane. Especially with matters concerning her pseudo-daughter, conversations didn’t end so easily.

“I made us lunch. Let’s eat up, then we can get going.”

The two sat down at the kitchen table where Jane had set out a plate of grilled cheese cut into triangles and two bowls of tomato soup.

“Where are we going again?” Katherine couldn’t remember for the life of her what was happening. She just wanted to go hide under her blankets until the show.

“We have our fitting with Gabriella,” Jane explained after taking a bite of her sandwich, “Just wants to make sure the new fabric holds up well.”

_Right._

Doing that was about the least appealing thing to Kat at that moment, but it’s not like there was much she could do about it.  
She picked at the food, listening to Seymour make small talk and tried to give more then one word responses back.

After finishing their lunch, the two piled into the car and headed off to the costume designer’s place.

Stepping into the studio, not even the familiar whirlwind of sparkly fabric everywhere was enough to help Katherine forget the events of earlier.

“You’re here!”

Boleyn piped up from the couch, but made no move to get up. She probably didn’t want to risk giving up her spot.

“Hey Anne.” Kat forced a smile onto her lips.

The other queens welcomed them in, too. Jane went to see Parr sitting on a stool, trying to read the jacket of the book between her hands.

Katherine slumped against the side of the couch near her cousin. There wasn’t much of a chance of her squeezing in on the couch itself since Cleves and Aragon were taking up the two other spots.

“How was your day Katherine?” Aragon asked politely.

The girl pressed her lips together. “Okay.” She looked up at Anne. “I got the hair dye.”

“Brilliant!”  
Anne went to run a hand through Kat’s hair, but she dodged before she had a chance.

Boleyn raised an eyebrow. “Kitty-”

A head poked itself out from behind the changing wall, interrupting the conversation.  
“Is everyone here now? I’ve just finished hanging them all up.”

Gabriella’s short hair was tucked back. With a measuring tape in one hand and a clipboard in the other, she was definitely ready for business.

The designer shot a smile in Aragon’s direction. “You’re up, Catherine.”  
She got up off the couch and walked behind the change wall, posture as regal as ever.

Then Anne started furiously tapping on the couch cushion where a spot opened up. “Sit, Kitty.”

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to sit with Anne. It’s just that being sandwiched in the middle of two people wasn’t going to help her anxiety at all.

Her eyes darted around the room, at a loss for what to respond.

“How about you come here?”

Jane seemed to notice her discomfort. She waved her over, the most reassuring look she could muster on her face.

Extremely grateful, Katherine scooted over to Jane who was sat against the studio wall. The other queens resumed chatting about the costumes, but everyone kept a worried eye on Katherine.

Jane slowly leaned closer to her daughter figure’s ear. Everything she did was always so slow, so thoughtful, so caring…

“We don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. We can always come back another day.”

Katherine considered this for a second. 

_Won’t there just be more questions from the others?_  
_What about Gabriella? I can’t waste her time by leaving now._

Kat shook her head softly in reply.

“Alright,” Jane whispered back, “let me know if you change your mind.”

She took her hand, slowly reaching down to set it on top of Kat’s giving her plenty of time to pull away if she didn’t want the physical contact.  
Jane’s soft touch and grin was enough to take the girl out of her dark thoughts, if only temporarily.

_He’s not here._  
_Jane’s here to protect me._  
_I’m safe._

Aragon appeared from behind the changing wall, her gold costume glittering like a sunset.

“You look great. Straight fire.” Cleves spoke up, here eyes glued to the new outfit.

Aragon laughed, putting her hands confidently on her hips in a sort of pose.  
The only way she could look more like a queen was if she was wearing an actual tiara.

“You’ve really outdone yourself Gabriella.” The dressed queen commented.

The designer waved her hand dismissively. “It’s nothing really. Now, how do you feel? Is anywhere too tight? Too loose? Can you dance Haus of Holbein in it?”

“Of course I can. It’s perfect, and I’m not just saying that.”

Aragon took a section of the fabric, stretching it out as far as she could. It snapped back like a sort of rubber.  
“What did you make this out of? Indestructible fibre?”

It was Gabriella’s turn to let a giggle escape. “Well, the closest thing to that I suppose.”

“Great. Maybe now Anne won’t have any chance of ripping her costume.”

Boleyn stuck her tongue out playfully at the older woman who ruffled her hair like an annoyed older sister would.

As Aragon went back to change out of the costume, Anne tossed her phone to Cleves.  
“Take some pictures of me, would you? The fans are going to eat this up.”

When it was her turn, Boleyn happily jumped behind the wall to try on her new costume. She emerged like she was walking a runway, giving Cleves plenty to take pictures of.

“You look great Anne.” Parr smiled, her book having been tossed to the side.

Boleyn did a little twirl, and as stiff as her skirt was it still bloomed a bit. “I love it so much! Gabi, you’re a genius!”

The woman mentioned untucked the pen from behind your ear. “I don’t know if I can trust you guys to give me valid criticism at this point.”

Aragon butted in. “We would if there was anything to criticize.”

Regardless, Gabriella started giving Anne instruction to turn around or life her arms or to do a dance move. She made little notes to herself, sometimes taking out her measuring tape to double check something.

“Done already?” Anne frowned when she retracted her pen, “I thought I’d get to enjoy this a bit longer.”

“You’ll get plenty of chances to show it off during our performance tonight.” Aragon reminded.

Cleves held up the queen’s phone. “The comments should tie you over until then.”  
With that, Kat’s cousin bounded back behind the wall to take off her green dress.

Jane started lightly tracing her daughter figure’s palm with her finger, causing the teen to look up at her.

“Are you going to be alright?”

Katherine quickly realized Jane was up next.

And really, she did think she was gonna be alright.  
With all of the queen’s encouraging words to each other, heck Parr even _put down her book_ to watch the fitting.  
Everyone looked amazing, and she could hardly wait to see what Jane’s costume looked like.

“Go ahead, mum.”

Jane smiled, getting up as Anne plopped back down on the couch. She eagerly reached for her phone and started scrolling away.

Unconsciously, Katherine pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on her head. The other’s queens talking faded out of earshot. 

She felt bad for tensing up without Jane next to her.  
_Weak._  
All she could do was wait and try not to think about...

Faster than anyone else, Jane finished changing. She took cautious steps out from behind the wall. The lights of the studio glowed from behind her, making her look almost angelic. 

Kat smiled to herself.  
_She’s like a guardian angel._  
_My guardian angel._

“Stunning, Seymour.” Aragon beamed.

Jane blushed, always humble. “It’s only my costume…”

“You look great Jane!! Like a sparkly marshmallow!”

Anne didn’t even give Jane time to register the strange comment, because she held up her phone and started snapping away. “Give them a spin, why don’t you?”

The dressed queen listened to Anne, but Katherine figured it was more because she really loved her costume then to show off. She did a little twirl, somehow making it look graceful and effortless in her heeled boots on the carpeted floor.

“Arms up, Jane.” Gabriella was already doing her job, inspecting the costume for mistakes.

“Now Gabi, let’s wait until after the show today to go over this, yeah? It’ll be easier to do altercations after we know for sure if I’m having any trouble moving in it.”

Gabriella hummed. “Always the sensible one.” She tucked her pen back behind her ear.

Jane changed out of her monochrome dress and Kat couldn’t describe the amount of relief she felt when she was back by her side.

That relief must’ve been visible in the way her body untensed, because her mother figure said “I’m right here.”

“You are. You all are.” She looked around at the other queens. “I’m just… overreacting right now.”

Jane’s eyebrows raised in worry.  
“What’s going on, lovely?”

Katherine shook her head furiously, refusing to let any memories from earlier seep through. She wasn’t ready to think about them again, all she could think of was how gross she felt…

The girl ended up resting her head slowly onto her mother figure’s shoulder.  
“You’re here. It’s okay. You’re here.” She repeated to herself.

They stayed like that for a bit as Anna finished doing her fitting. Anne was now holding two phones, taking pictures for both and yelling encouraging words a little too loudly.  
Not surprising. Anne Boleyn has no volume gage.

When Cleves reappeared back in her burgundy tube top and black skinny jeans, Kat could feel her heart pick up it’s pace.

“Ready for your costume?” Gabriella smiled down at the pink-haired queen.

_You can do this Kat,_  
_You have nothing to be scared of here._

She fell out of Jane’s embrace, standing up and heading behind the wall. Once there she found everyone’s costumes hanging up, noticeably brighter and more-durable looking then their old ones.  
Katherine ran her hand down the new bodice to get a feel for the fabric. She poked at the new iridescent fabric that lined her bubblegum coloured skirt. 

Double checking that she was, in fact, alone behind the wall, the girl slipped into her costume as quick as possible. Her head was spinning in circles as she did it: at one point, the bodice refused to tug down and her breaths got shorter and faster as she pulled as hard as she could to get it down.

It finally came down, clinging just above the middle of her waist.  
Looking in the mirror next to the clothing rack, Katherine didn’t feel like herself.

Normally, she was all about her costume. It was a symbol of being able to perform with her favourite people, of doing what she loved to do every night with her found family.  
But it was like she couldn’t even see the outfit. 

All she saw was her exposed torso, her mostly-bare legs.  
How deep her neckline plunged on her top.  
How, back in her time, she would be executed for wearing any of this.  
How her exposed state left her vulnerable to being touched, and grabbed and hurt in ways she didn’t even want to imagine…

“Katherine? Are you alright in there?”  
Even though her mother figure’s voice was slightly muffled, she could still hear the tenderness in her inflection.

Kat pulled her arms away from where she was covering herself and forced them to her sides. One deep breath did nothing to calm her pounding heart down, but it was all she could do.

She wobbled slightly as she came out to show her costume.  
Then everyone started speaking at once.

“Lookin’ good, babe!” Cleves affirmed.

Anne gasped dramatically. “What a beauty to behold!”

“Beautiful.” Parr and Aragon both said at the same time, the smaller one giving a thumbs up.

“Lovely, darling.” Jane’s voice was the quietest, but it came through nonetheless and punched her in the gut.

It was too much all at once.  
Katherine froze in place, trying her hardest not to cover herself.

_Why are you acting this way?_  
_They’re only complimenting you!_

But they didn’t feel like compliments. Not at that moment.  
It felt like there were arms jetting out at her in every direction, ready to pounce on her like she was weak prey. There were eyes everywhere and Anne’s camera shoved in her face, _watching_, waiting for her to reveal herself.

The queen tried swallowing the lump in her throat. Her vision started failing her, she started seeing flashes of the sidewalk from earlier, of bedchambers that had been familiar to her a lifetime ago....

She barely registered Gabriella from beside her. “It looks a little tight there-”

Almost in slow motion, her arm started snaking around her the way _his_ had earlier.  
Tears blurred everything around her, making her vulnerable to anything trying to hurt her.  
She could feel her throat getting tighter, _tighter_. She couldn’t breathe. Instead, a small whimper rolled off her lips.  
Only, the cry got louder and louder until all Kat could hear were painful screams surrounding her, _coming for her…_

“Katherine!”

Everything around her stopped moving.  
Images of bed frames and wandering eyes faded when Jane called for her.

Brought back to reality, she realized the screaming came from her own mouth.  
Everyone was still looking at her.  
She couldn’t handle the stares. She couldn’t handle being seen right now when all she wanted to be left alone.

Spotting Anna’s oversized sweater hanging off the arm of the sofa, she made a quick move to grab it and yank it over her head all in one motion.  
Mascara-laden tears dripped down her face as she ran out the door.

Katherine ran down the stairs of the building, pushing through the heavy metal doors. The area was unfamiliar to her, and the people she could see off in the distance made anxiety flare up even more.

She went to the only place she could think to be left alone. 

Katherine threw open the door to her car, wedging herself in the backseat.  
Curling up as small as she possibly could, she wished she was invisible.

She wished she was _gone_.

Her heart refused to slow down, adrenaline coursing through her body. She did her best to concentrate on her breathing but it only seemed to get worse and worse...

Some time passed before short knocks sounded against steel.  
Katherine immediately jumped up, pushing herself even further against the back of the seat.

She blinked enough to be able to spot long blonde hair flowing in the wind outside the window. Jane’s face was ever so soft and ever so caring, just as it always was.

The older queen made no move to open the door. She waited patiently for any confirmation from her daughter.

It took Kat a minute, but eventually she worked herself up into an upright position and reached across the seat to push the door open.

“Thank you for opening the door, sweetheart. That couldn’t of been easy.”

Jane pushed it the rest of the way open, not getting in just yet. She crouched down on the gravel to meet Katherine’s gaze, who still refused to scoot any closer.

“Is it alright if I come inside?”

_Asking_ and _not taking_.  
It was only something Katherine had become accustomed to with Jane. Something that she never wanted to let go.

The girl gave two slow nods.  
Jane slid into the seat next to her, being sure to keep her distance for the time being.

“I’m always here love,” She repeated her line from earlier. “Whatever you need.”

And Katherine had no clue what she needed.  
She just wanted to feel safe, to not feel so disgusted with herself.

For the images of Henry and Francis and Thomas to be erased and to never be scared of someone doing that again.

She could feel her mind spiraling again, and she shook her head violently to block the thoughts.  
“N-no.”

“Hey, hey.” Jane called gently, noticing the trance that Kat was falling into. “It’s just you and I, just the two of us right now, can you hear me?”

Katherine sank back even further, and that’s when Jane knew she was losing her.

Desperate to do _anything_ to stop this from happening, Jane did the only thing she could think to do at that moment.

Jane cleared her throat.

_“I know we're perfect._  
_A perfect family._  
_I’ll hold you close, for the world to see.”_

Katherine looked up, her brown eyes glittering with tears. 

_“And when I say you're someone that I will always love,_  
_I mean those words truthfully._  
_And I know,_  
_That our bond is strong and our love will persevere.”_

Jane slowly inched closer to her daughter, and she swore she saw Kat do the same.

_“Despite our pasts, we’re together at last,_  
_All my love will still be here.”_

Katherine let herself fall into her mother’s embrace, sobs and hiccups riddled between heavy breaths. Jane continued the song as she stroked her hair.

_“You can build her up, you can tear her down,_  
_You can try but she’s unbreakable._  
_You can do your best, but she’ll stand the test._  
_You'll find that she’s unshakeable.”_

Kat’s breathing calmed a bit as she relaxed into her mother’s hold.

_“When the fire's burnt,_  
_When the wind has blown,_  
_When the water's dried, you'll still find stone.”_

The blonde queen pulled away slightly. She placed a loving hand under Katherine’s chin, raising it up to meet her gaze.

_“Her heart of stone.”_

Katherine dried her tears with the back of her palm, the corners of her lips slightly upturned.

It was a start.

“All of that is true. You’re so incredibly strong.” Jane spoke sincerely.

She only just caught the quiet whisper coming from Kat.  
“Thank you for making me feel safe.”

“The pleasure’s all mine.” Jane smiled, brushing the brown hair out of the younger queen’s face.

“It’s not that I don’t usually feel safe with everyone else… there’s just something that happened today.”

Jane rubbed the girl’s arm affectionately, letting her know that she was there to support her.

Katherine took a deep breath, continuing. “There was the man, when I was out… he touched me. I wanted to leave, but I - I couldn’t…”

Without even thinking, Jane wrapped her arms around the girl and held her close.  
_I should’ve went with her._  
_I could’ve been there for her._

Jane tried to keep the tightness out of her voice. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

“Is that all I’m ever going to be?” Katherine’s voice cracked and Jane’s heart ached.

“Just something to look at? Just something to… have?”

“Honey…” Jane pressed a kiss into her daughter’s hairline. She didn’t even know where to begin. 

This fear was a huge part of Katherine’s past. As much as Jane wanted to press a button and have everything washed away, have all of this behaviour gone from the world, nothing was ever that simple.

“It isn’t fair what has happened to you. In the past, and today. And those kind of disgusting people are still out there, I’m afraid.”

“But the majority of people aren’t like that. They see Katherine Howard, the sweetest, kindest, most musically gifted performer to have ever walked on this earth. And every time you go up on that stage, every time you meet the fans with your kind words, you’re showing everyone who thinks differently who they’re really messing with.”

Katherine takes all of her words in.  
Her mind starts wandering again, but not to the same places as before.

It wonders to this morning, when the young teenage artist thanked her for her performance.

_I can’t let them make me run away._  
_For this girl and others like her, I have to show them that they’re more than what has happened to them._

“Mum?”

Jane’s blue eyes connected with Katherine’s.  
“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I love you too, Katherine.”

The two held onto each other for a while. Jane wanted Katherine to know that she was there for her through it all.

Through the past, the present, and the future.

Katherine knew that with Jane, she’d be protected.  
Even on days like this, they’ll get through it.  
And they’ll do it together.

“You, Katherine Howard, have the strongest heart of anyone I know. Never forget that.”

And every time Jane would sing her song, Katherine would remember her strength.

Remember how thankful she was for her incredible mother.

**Author's Note:**

> Jane and Kat have my whole heart and that is the end of it.
> 
> Again, thank you so much Rhaya for being an amazing person and friend. You guys should all go check out her works @broadwayqueer .
> 
> I also have an Instagram for Six, I'm @cinnamon.boleyn if you would like to give me a follow!
> 
> Thanks for reading and I'll see you all soon <3


End file.
